The semi-finals of the Australian Open brought with it an unusual sight. After a typically assured start, Elena Rybakina was becoming flustered and agitated by the returns of Victoria Azarenka, whose experience in the heat of battle was starting to scratch away at the Wimbledon champion’s cool and collected facade.
Yet it only lasted for a moment, as Rybakina regathered her composure, picked up her weapons, and ground down Azarenka’s resurgent game. In what was the two-time Australian Open champion’s first semi-final in Melbourne since her last title in 2013, Azarenka was eventually taken apart by Rybakina’s aggressive returns and put away by her dominant serve, as the momentum of a nervy and rather unsettled semi-final finally swung in the 23-year-old’s direction.
